as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the endless pestering finally drove me to study at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in teasing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pestering
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Brian Robin,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
The character, Günter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry), is seen pestering Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) and Homelander at the White House.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—
R.j. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
There were almost no visible signs of this pestering affliction, which interfered with the rabbi’s sleep and therefore with his mental competence and his negotiation of daytime duties and professional matters.
—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Bonner brought the bull market with him to CSUF, bringing his pressing, pestering and passionate style of play to a fanbase starved for success.
—
Brian Robin,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
The character, Günter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry), is seen pestering Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) and Homelander at the White House.
—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—
R.j. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestering
Noun
-
Potential jurors questioned on harassment, retaliation A jury pools of roughly 300 Johnson County residents was whittled down to 110 on Monday morning before attorneys began their questions.
-
Ovitz had left the agency a few months before the alleged assault, but Ormond’s attorneys wanted to question him about his knowledge of Weinstein, the operations of CAA, and the culture of harassment in the industry, which Ovitz had referenced in his memoir.
Adjective
-
The thickset Armand Assante was a phlegmatic Odysseus, but Greta Scacchi, as Penelope—who has so little to say in the poem—became the physical embodiment of anger, and Isabella Rossellini was a teasing Athena.
-
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.
Verb
-
That shift may help explain why some couples notice their partner’s scent bothering them more during periods of conflict.
-
The chest pain that had been bothering her finally let up.
Adjective
-
Has Greta eaten or chewed on anything naughty?
-
The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.
Adjective
-
Joined by Mayor Mamdani, friends and family on Thursday laid to rest an East Village deli worker who police said was shot and killed during a dispute with a troublemaking former customer.
-
There’s an inherent troublemaking nature to him that can’t be repressed by the big Disney musical.
Adjective
-
McGonigle has been crafty on the base paths, recording nine steals on nine attempts.
-
People danced as musicians performed in the park, and crafty designers showed off their work.
Cite this Entry
“Pestering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestering. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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